First Finger Foods

There has to be more finger foods available than just Puffs and Cheerios surely? Well yes, in fact there are lots of things that are great and safe under supervision. Just make sure the pieces are soft and small, and that your baby is upright when eating.

Here are few ideas:

• Cut-up ripe banana
• Avocado
• Soft cooked beans - black or kidney beans are great
• Soft ripe fruit like peaches, pear, mango or apricots
• Watermelon
• Pancakes
• Pasta - ravioli is a good choice
• Lightly toasted bread or bagel
• Tofu
• Cooked vegetables cut-up into small pieces - broccoli, carrots, sweet potato and peas are great
• Rice cakes
• Small pieces of cooked chicken
• Soft cheese - grate it for more fun
• Rice balls
• Flaked fish
• Egg yolk omelette (no whites until they are 12 months)

And some other tips:

• Coat slippery foods like banana with cereal or wheatgerm so baby can grip them.
• Add some flavor - you can sprinkle foods with nutmeg, cinnamon or ground ginger
• Remove skins from fruit like apples and pears

Avoid these foods due to choking hazard and/or allergic reactions:

• Raisins
• Honey
• Raw vegetables
• Hard fruit
• Cherry tomatoes
• Grapes
• Hotdogs and sausages
• Hard cheeses
• Nuts - and of course peanut butter
• Olives
• Popcorn
• Strawberries (until 12 months old)